GMA calls for National Emergency Command Centre after Korle Bu overcrowding incident
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has proposed sweeping reforms to Ghana's emergency healthcare system following an overcrowding incident at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital's Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre. The GMA issued a detailed statement on March 24, outlining immediate interventions. Central to these is the call for a National Dashboard Tracking and Emergency Command Centre to coordinate bed availability, ambulance deployment, referral outcomes, and congestion metrics across the Greater Accra region.
The association recommended a digitized intra-hospital bed management system and a comprehensive surge plan. They stressed timely clinical decision-making to facilitate the onward transfer of patients from the A&E centre. The GMA also proposed strengthening nearby facilities such as Usher Hospital, Mamprobi Polyclinic, and Kaneshie Polyclinic with equipment, logistics, and teleconsultation capabilities. They also called for a back-referral system to transfer stable patients back to referring facilities.
The GMA stressed the need for an urgent inter-agency meeting involving the Ghana Health Service, CHAG, the National Health Insurance Authority, the National Ambulance Service, private providers, and professional health associations. The association added that "In the long term, all district and regional hospitals must be resourced to safely manage more cases locally," warning that under-resourced peripheral facilities continue to fuel avoidable referrals.
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The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is pushing for major changes to Ghana's emergency healthcare - following an incident at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The association is calling for immediate action, but what solutions are they proposing?
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